VISITING HOSPITAL

All hospital visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask. Expand this message for information about visiting hospital.

Last updated:
13 March 2023

Some visitor restrictions for all Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury hospitals and health facilities remain in place, but we have relaxed others.

There is still a heightened risk to vulnerable people in hospital and so we recommend all people wear a mask when visiting any of our facilities and follow other advice designed to keep patients, staff and  visitors safe.

To keep everybody safe:

  • Visitors or support people must not visit our facilities if they are unwell. Do not visit if you have recently tested positive for COVID-19 and haven’t completed your isolation period.
  • Patients may have more than one visitor, except in some situations such as multi-bed rooms where it can cause overcrowding.
  • Surgical/medical masks are recommended to be worn at all sites. Masks will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • For Specialist Mental Health Services everyone is strongly encouraged to wear a face mask in all inpatient areas and areas where consumers are receiving care (i.e. community appointments, home-visits, transporting people). Discretion may be applied in cases where masks impair your ability to communicate effectively.
  • Visitors must not eat or drink in multibed rooms because of the increased risk when multiple people remove their face mask in the same space.
  • Hand sanitiser is available and must be used.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as our staff work hard to protect and care for some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Visiting patients with COVID-19

  • People can visit patients who have COVID-19 but they must wear an N95 mask – this will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • Other methods of communication will be facilitated e.g. phone, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp etc where visits aren’t possible.

All of our Hospitals

Visiting hours for our hospitals have returned to pre COVID-19 hours with the exception of Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

All visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask.

Parents/caregivers are able to be with their child in hospital and visitors are now allowed, except for the Children’s Haematology and Oncology Day stay where just one parent/caregiver is able to attend their appointment with their child. Exceptions by special arrangement only.

Patients and visitors should also read the additional more detailed visiting guidelines for each specific hospital.

More COVID-19 information

Colonoscopy waiting lists 2018-2020

Summary of official information request

  • How many patients were on the waiting list for colonoscopies at the end of each month from August 2018 to August 2020?
  • What was the average wait time for urgent or category A colonoscopies at the end of each month from August 2018 to August 2020?
  • What was the average wait time for non-urgent or category B colonoscopies at the end of each month from August 2018 to August 2020?
  • What was the average wait time for surveillance or routine colonoscopies at the end of each month from August 2018 to August 2020?
  • What was the ratio between colonoscopies performed for non-urgent patients, versus patients referred through the National Bowel Screening Programme at the end of each month from August 2018 to August 2020? (If the screening programme has been rolled out in your DHB area).
  • How many of your patients have recovered from colorectal cancer, versus those that died from the disease between August 2019 and August 2020?
  • How many colonoscopies lead to a confirmed diagnosis of colorectal cancer each month from August 2018 to August 2020?
  • How many categories does your DHB divide your waiting list into?
  • What are the criteria for each category?
  • How many people are presently on the colonoscopy waiting list for each of these categories?
  • How long is the average waiting time for each category?

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Page last updated: 30 September 2020

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